Handwerk im Gepäck. Geflüchtete aus der DDR und in der Gegenwart.

Traveling Exhibition: Craftsmanshipin Their Luggage: Refugees from the GDR and Today

The exhibition (first shown in 2023) was organized by the Hamburg State Agency for Political Education, the Grenzhus Schlagsdorf Information Center on the Inner-German Border, and the Hamburg Chamber of Crafts; it was curated by David Rojkowski and funded by the Federal Foundation for the Reappraisal of the SED Dictatorship.

The focus on craftspeople sheds light on a previously little-noticed aspect of the exodus from the GDR. Another area of focus is the situation of people working in the skilled trades who came to Germany from other countries after 1989. They, too, are often forced to leave their home countries due to unbearable conditions. And they, too, have similar dreams and goals that they hope to realize in Germany.

Drawing on a scholarly selection of individual life stories, the exhibition tells their stories in all their diversity and complexity. The exhibition centers on these portraits and life stories of people who work or have worked in the skilled trades —four individuals from the GDR who look back on their lives, as well as four individuals from Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria, and Ukraine, some of whom arrived in Germany only recently, and who share their aspirations.

Just how difficult it can be to settle into a new country is illustrated—on behalf of thousands of people who, although they succeeded in fleeing, never truly integrated into society— —is illustrated by the story of two artisans who, after successfully fleeing the GDR, were unable to find their place in West German society. Despite the threat of severe consequences, they returned to the GDR.

Further information, including details on curator-led tours on September 8 and 9, 2026, both at 5:00 p.m., can be found at:www.hamburg.de/politische-bildung

September 8 through October 5, 2026

Hours: Mon–Fri9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., Sat 10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m., Sun 1:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.